No Glitter, No Glory: The Awe-Inspiring Sparkle of Lit Cosmetics

You know when you find a makeup brand and you fall in love with their one amazing signature product, and then you try the other items in their line and you just think, “Meh. Why did they even bother with all this other junk?” That’s how I used to feel about Hard Candy – they had nail polish down to an art, and suddenly they launched that line through Walmart that was hit or miss (and mostly miss) to say the least. Not to mention that their polishes were some of the worst of the relaunch. Luckily, HC is finally starting to turn some things around and a lot of their products are improving, though one still have to wonder – if you do one thing and do it extremely well, isn’t that enough?

The answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes!” and you don’t need to look any further than an amazing little gem of an indie makeup brand called Lit Cosmetics. They don’t need a ton of products weighing down their store shelves – their catalog is already packed full of the one product they do, and do best: glitter!

Now I realize that some people who are not enormous drag queens like me will not appreciate how truly amazing this is (though I think EVERYONE could use a little more glitter in their lives), but you still have to admit that their catalog is truly impressive. Quite a few makeup lines will have some glitters: MAC usually has 9 or 10 colors, maybe more depending on seasonal/limited collections; OCC has a collection of about a dozen, though their color selection is pretty basic (Lip Tar is definitely their standout product, and the glitter feels like filler-though I’m GAGGING on the new OCC glitter ad featuring Queen of Blending); Eye Kandy, probably Lit’s closest competitor, has a respectable 60 shades plus 20 or so loose mineral/pigment options. Lit Cosmetics, however, takes glitter obsession well beyond the next level by providing over 200 shades of glitter!

Their catalog is truly spectacular! The glitters are separated by color groups: Light Blue-Turquoise, Bronze-Brown, Burgundy-Fuchsia, Clear (opalescent glitters with different hues reflected in the glitter), Dark Blues, Golds, Greens, Neons & Electrics (totally blacklight friendly!), Peach-Orange, Pinks, Purples, Reds, and Silver-Black. I knew I’d found glitter Nirvana on the Greens page (just in case you’ve been in a coma and have missed my obsessive devotion to green makeup, you can find out more HERE in my celebration of Sephora + Pantone Universe’s 2013 Color of the Year!) and saw no less than 29 options for gorgeous, glimmering green glitter! Sorry, sometimes I overuse alliteration when I’m having a beautygasm. The greens are probably the most packed page, but there is definitely something for everyone in the approximately 230 options.

Now, some people will probably argue with me that there aren’t that many unique colors. And they would be right…sort of. The collection is broken down into 4 different sizes and 4 different textures. Size 1 is the smallest, size two is a pretty standard size, and sizes 3 and 4 are the more dramatic, larger cut. Not every color or texture is available in every size. For example, size one is only available in solid, which Lit describes as “pure glitter color.” The other textures are Shimmer, Metallic, and Electric, and all of these options add up to an amazingly diverse bunch of glitters. One color can look totally different in different sizes and textures, as you can see by checking out their sample photos in their online catalog. Tootsie, from the Bronze-Brown page comes in size 2 metallic, size 2 solid, and size 3 solid; Hulk, a scintillating emerald green, comes in solid in sizes 1, 2, and 3 as well as size 2 metallic. Each version of the color has it’s own character and personality.

To say that I discovered this brand and dove right in is an understatement!

There were so many great colors and cuts, it was hard to limit myself to even this much! I swear, if I could have afforded it, I would have taken the whole collection! But I did get some of the highlights of the collection…and lots of great greens! I had first tried out some Lit Glitter when I got some in a sample jar with a purchase I made on Ebay – but getting these in the mail was a totally new experience!

First, the packaging is to DIE! No flimsy, cheap plastic containers where the screw tops crack and break and spill your glitter everywhere (I’m looking at YOU Eye Kandy, though I heard they have made some packaging improvements since the one time I ordered from them); these gorgeous little geometric gems look like glamorous ice cubes in your makeup bag, and you can take the tops off and screw them to the base of any other glitter to make custom stacks. Mine are currently about half and half: all of the Electrics are in a stack together, and I’ve been playing around with different combinations of golds, blacks, and silvers. In a world where packaging gets cheaper and lower quality by the day, it’s nice to see a brand use really great packaging that not only looks cool, but does what packaging should – keeping your cosmetics safe and contained and NOT all over your kit!

Lit’s other staple product is their Clearly Liquid Glitter Base. I love the glitter base…mostly. It is fierce and unbeatable for creating glitter eyeliners or more precise glitter effects on the eyes. It’s not too bad for applying a pretty solid pack of glitter across the lid. The main disappointment I found was that this product just can’t compete with MAC’s Mixing Medium when it comes to creating a sexy Glitter Lip (for more on that look, check it out HERE). It can be done, but the feeling on the lips is not great, and let’s be real – having glitter caked on your lips isn’t much of a day at the beach already. It’s hard to fault Lit’s base for not working on the lips, though, as that is not it’s stated purpose; it’s just that with MAC’s Mixing Medium seeming like it’s saying goodbye permanently, I was really hoping to find a great alternative, and this just didn’t make all of my dreams come true. Wah wah, poor me. Life’s a bitch, kid, now put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

As far as the colors themselves, I love, love, LOVE them! My favorites are Marilyn Monroe (trusty silver glitter) in outrageous size 4 (HUGE!) and, of course, Champagne Wishes (a yummy champagne gold opalescent sparkle!). My dream is that someday Jodie, the diva behind Lit Cosmetics and my favorite thing to come out of Canada since Trevor D, will mix this champagne color with a light pink and name it after me! A girl can dream…

My only neutral on the glitters themselves are the Electrics: they are just as fierce and amazing as they look, but they are a little…persnickety. They are not your typical glitter product, but they aren’t exactly a pigment either. If you don’t apply them right, they can be a little streaky and not cover evenly, and they take a little getting used to; the coordinated bright neon glitters also might face some competition from SugarPill’s new ElectroCute collection. But once you develop a little patience and learn how to work with them, the looks you can create with them are utterly divine! (Jodie and the Lit team do provide instructions on how to apply their products – HERE)

Definitely go check out Lit’s website and try out at least a color or two. They have great kits available that save you some money when you pick up a base along with some colors, and the kits are NOT premade so you get to pick exactly the colors you want! Plus, Lit also features a color of the season, which you get free with the purchase of any three glitters. How great is that?!

Lit’s mantra is “No Glitter, No Glory,” and they are out to glitter the world, one fierce diva at a time. And though it would be great to see what other products they might add to their line or where their path may take them, it’s nice to see them doing their thing, and doing it better than anyone else on the market.